CuriousG
Half-elven
May 10, 11:32pm
Views: 77491
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5. Does The Prologue change how you perceive the Shire? How about narrative style of A Long Expected Party and The Shadow of the Past? Most definitely. The tone and the information delivered in the Prologue make the Shire very appealing to me as well as the first few chapters. I never thought much about the Shire after I first read The Hobbit: I thought about trolls, Beorn, Mirkwood, spiders, Lake-town, Smaug, and the Battle of Five Armies. When Bilbo missed his hobbit-hole, I figured he missed the comforts of home the way anyone would. Whereas when Frodo missed the Shire, I felt more drawn in by his nostalgia, as if it wasn't just his home but a special place like Rivendell or Lorien that I missed too.
6. Does Bilbo and/or Bilbo's experience of the Shire change between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring? I think the Shire in LOTR is less friendly to him, actually, with the constant remarks about his eccentricity, the near-indifference to him disappearing, and the seeming interest in his party being more about the food and status than any personal good wishes for Bilbo himself. I don't think it's an awful existence for him, but I can see why he never goes back and settles in Rivendell instead.
It's interesting that Tolkein personally put down roots at Oxford yet writes about these wandering characters like Gandalf (no home) or 5 out of 5 principal hobbits who are destined to leave the Shire behind (M&P going off to Rohan & Gondor to die). Plus the Elves, of course. We can speculate if this was something left over from leaving South Africa behind as a child or not, and we're stuck speculating, but it sure stands out.
7. Would Frodo, as a character, have fit into the Shire of The Hobbit? Is he a more nuanced character than Bilbo as the Shire is more nuanced in The Fellowship of the Ring?
I think The Hobbit's Shire is easier to live in as long as you don't disappear for a year.
8. Did the Shire "grow-up" because The Fellowship of the Ring is a different sort of story than The Hobbit? Did Tolkien "grow-up" as a writer? You could say it grew up, but I'm not sure what came first. When Tolkien went from writing Hobbit Part 2 to an epic tale, I think everything had to grow up.
9.Do you overlook the faults of gossip, gluttony and greed in Shire hobbits? Are they part of the charm of hobbits along with toughness, good cheer, and loyal friendships? Most definitely. I'm aware of the faults, but I overlook them. You never find perfection in life and have to accept flaws. There's more good than bad in the Shire, so it wears well with me, though my Gaffer says 'I don’t hold with wearing ironmongery, whether it wears well or no.’
(This post was edited by CuriousG on May 10, 11:33pm)
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